Susanne Taggart – Food Technology Degree Graduate

My name is Susanne Taggart and I graduated from CAFRE, Loughry Campus with a First Class Honours Degree in Food Technology. 

At school, my favourite subjects were Home Economics and Science – so the Food Technology course offered at CAFRE’s Loughry Campus was particularly appealing to me due to the industry relevant topics it covered. These included Food Science, Food Safety, Quality Management and Product Development, all of which I have a strong interest in. 

My time in Loughry was extremely beneficial for a number of reasons. One of the most useful, parts of the course for me was being able to take part in practicals in the college’s state of the art Food Technology Centre. This experience provided me with an insight into factory scale production.

I also enjoyed the diverse range of modules that were on offer. Running alongside the academic studies and practical experience were opportunities to apply for bursaries from various food and drink leading companies. There were also plenty of opportunities to enter competitions and I was delighted that my final year project (which was focused sugar reduction in bakery products) was considered to be within the top five across all universities in Northern Ireland.

I had the opportunity to present my findings to a panel of industry experts, and was named Runner-Up in Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST) Young Scientist of the Year. This achievement would not have been possible without the help of my Supervisor, Senior Food Lecturer Dr Gillian Stevenson. The level of support from the CAFRE staff was brilliant and I feel this is what really sets Loughry apart from the other institutions.

After graduating in 2017, I decided to start my own business – The Little Bakehouse, specialising in artisan cakes and condiments. This has been a wonderful experience for me and has taught me a lot about running a small business on a day-to-day basis. We are very lucky to have a following of very loyal customers who appreciate the quality of our handmade produce. This has been particularly crucial during the challenging Covid period.

We have been fortunate enough to win some awards for our products, including 3-star Great Taste Awards for both our Courgette, Lime & Pistachio cake and Lemon Curd (made with Abernethy butter). The award for the Lemon Curd was particularly thrilling as it was our first collaboration with another fantastic local company, something that we hope to expand on.

On reflection, I realise that my time in Loughry was invaluable in terms of building upon my passion for food, gaining practical experience and receiving the one to one support from college staff. The last 18 months working in the food industry has been extremely challenging, but equally, rewarding for those who put the hard work in.

For more information on the food courses at CAFRE, click here